FamilyCosm

The holiday season is a favorite time of the year for many. Some like the decorations, some like the food, some like the gifts, and others enjoy all the great company and fun parties. But no one enjoys the holidays quite like the children. After all, they can enjoy the snow, gifts, food, and fun without having to worry about any of the adult responsibilities that go with it!

If you want to put together a great present that will make the holidays extra special for the (well-behaved) children in your life, consider getting together a kid’s gift basket. This particular present comes with a lot of advantages. It is a relatively simple concept, which leaves you with lots of room to personalize the basket in a way that is assured to put a smile on the child’s face. You can make the gift practical, (if you want to keep the parents happy) or whimsical. Gift baskets can also be a great way to save money if you have more than one child to buy for, which I will explain more on later. The first step is to build the basket. Below are step by step instructions on how to do so.

Step 1 - Deciding on the Contents

Your first step should always be deciding on what you want to put in the basket. This way you will know what size basket to get, and how to decorate it. You could get things like mittens, hats, scarves, gloves, chocolate, candy, arts and crafts items, and of course, plush animals. Candy is usually a welcome item within a basket, but for those who want to avoid it, consider substituting crayons and other arts and crafts items instead. This keeps things fun, but is easier on their teeth.

A really great center piece for any gift basket would be a stuffed animal, because what kid doesn’t love plush toys? You could get any animal that fits their personality, like a plush lion, teddy bear, rabbit, or even a dolphin. Imagine using a penguin as the centerpiece of your gift basket, and then filling the basket with holiday themed candy. There’s a lot you can do with plush toys, so be creative! Find a stuffed animal that’s appropriate for them and it will really make the gift basket in to something special.

Step 2 - Finding the Right Basket

After you’ve decided on the content, you can go find the perfect basket. Remember to keep things simple, and keep to the classical wood look. You might be tempted to a get a highly decorated container, but keep in mind that once you fill it, the basket could end up looking too busy. Find a basket that will easily fit everything you’ve decided to fill it with. You can do this easier by thinking about the volume of the plush toy you chose, as this is probably the item that is the largest, so you should be able to pick a container based on the stuffed animal’s size, and avoid overcrowding.

Now that you’ve got all the ingredients together to a make a really great gift basket for kids, consider what you’ll need to decorate it and finish putting everything together. Most likely you will need things like wrapping paper, tape, scissors, and maybe even some stickers to make things really fun. Most of these items will be necessary to really give your gift some extra polish. Decorating the basket will be explained more fully in part two of this article, so stay tuned.